Disclosure: I worked for the Lamont campaign doing web design and production and some writing for the official blog (from 9/5/06 to 11/07/06).

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Wal-Mart and Joe: Best Friends

(Update: Lieberman claims the contribution in question was returned to Wal-Mart a few days after it's receipt. There is no record of any contribution or any refund in Lieberman's 1Q FEC filing - however, if he did return it, good for him. Either way, it's probably safe to assume that the reason Wal-Mart wanted to financially support Joe's candidacy was because they agreed with his policies on issues like labor and trade.)

Apaprently, Sen. Lieberman has now asked to speak at the "Wake Up Wal-Mart" rally in Bridgeport tomorrow. Unsurprisng, since almost all Democratic elected officials and candidates in the state - including Ned Lamont, Rep. DeLauro, Destefano, Malloy, Farrell, and Dinardo - were scheduled to attend as of a few days ago.

PBS's Frontline reported back in 2004 on the history of this particular PAC:

In 1998, Wal-Mart hired its first lobbyist, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Norm Lezy, and created a political action committee (PAC), called the Wal-Mart Stores Inc. PAC for Responsible Government. According to published news reports, in 1999, then-Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott met with Wal-Mart executives and urged them to increase the company's political profile. In six years, the company has grown from having no lobbying presence in Washington to employing six external lobbying firms (in addition to its internal operation), and becoming one of the top 20 PAC contributors to federal candidates in the 2004 election cycle....

Wal-Mart says that it supports pro-business candidates and its political contributions on the national level overwhelmingly tilt Republican. In the 2004 cycle, the company gave $5,000 to President Bush's reelection campaign, and nothing to John Kerry's campaign. In May 2004, Vice President Dick Cheney praised the company in an economic policy speech at Wal-Mart's distribution center in Bentonville, Ark, saying: "The story of Wal-Mart exemplifies some of the very best qualities in our country -- hard work, the spirit of enterprise, fair dealing, and integrity."

In the 2004 cycle, Wal-Mart gave $1,050,500 to Republican House candidates and $195,000 to Republican Senate candidates, as compared to $273,500 to Democratic House candidates and $76,500 to Democratic Senate candidates. In 2002, 78 percent of the PAC's donations went to Republicans; in 2000, 85 percent went to Republicans; and in 1998, 93 percent went to Republicans.

Hey has anyone read the story about how Lamont owns $45,000 in Walmart stock?? Read it for yourself:http://washingtontimes.com/national/20060803-112200-4787r.htm

Unbeleivable, the hipocrisy that is Ned Lamont. You all are flogging Lieberman for allegedly accepting a $1,000 contribution and then this happens. I hope this shatters all your perceptions of Lamont as the representative of the working man. This man only wants power and money. He knows he can get power by telling you guys anything you want and he'll get money by taking advantage of the very things that he derides. It's hipocrisy at its worst.